Phylogenetic analysis of ca. 4500 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA sequence data reveals further genetic diversity in mouse lemurs (Microcebus) on the eastern and western coasts of Madagascar. Molecular data and phylogenetic analyses revise the previously monotypic species of eastern Madagascar, Microcebus rufus, with the description of 3 new species. Three additional Microcebus species are proposed in eastern Madagascar, along with another Microcebus species in western Madagascar. Correlating the molecular data with previously generated sequence data, we present a tentative pattern of distribution along the east coast. We show that the general distribution of Microcebus is based on a traditional eastern/western division. The preliminary model appears strongly influenced by both rivers and altitudinal differences acting independently as barriers.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A grant from the Committee for Research and Exploration of the National Geographic Society (6613.99) supported in part the work described here. The project would not have been possible without the support of the guides, staff, and drivers of the Institute for Conservation of Tropical Environments, Madagascar (ICTE-MICET), as well as the Association Nationale pour la Gestion des Aires Protégées (ANGAP), Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza, the Ministère des Eaux et Forêt of Madagascar, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife. We acknowledge the generosity of Bill and Berniece Grewcock for their support at Henry Doorly Zoo. Generous equipment support from the Ahmanson Foundation and the Theodore F. and Claire M. Hubbard Family Foundation further sustained our research. Although the mouse lemur is considered the smallest primate in the world, its diminutive size is no reflection on the contribution to wildlife conservation by the 3 individuals for which the new Microcebus species are named in their honor.

We are thankful for the creative genius Stephen Nash who has prepared amazingly detailed and accurate illustrations of Microcebus spp.

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